Musee D'Orsay

If you go to Paris, try to include a first-Sunday-of-the-month in your stay. That, we found by chance, is when admission at the Musee d'Orsay is free. When we went, November 7, 2010, there was a colossal show of Impressionist and post-Impressionist works. Some works were from the now-being-remodeled fifth floor, others were borrowed from other museums.
By the way, every picture I have of the Musee d'Orsay was taken on a previous visit, when I was amazed that picture-taking was allowed. I must have snapped the entire top floor, and I'm especially glad now that I did. Photography is now forbidden.
We couldn't have chanced on a better day!

Trying Yet Again to Post Bernard's Photo

Thanksgiving

In Paris, every day is Thanksgiving. The Parisians don't necessarily know this, or experience it, but that's my own prevailing state of mind. In fact, I carry with me at all times a little notebook in which I list each day's items for which I'm particularly grateful. This is how I do my post-trip reports -- sent to friends who humor me to a touching extent -- with such acute recall!

When I return to New York, I copy them more legibly to attach to the pages of the calendar that's devoted to each day's gratitude list. The main difference between the daily Paris lists and the daily New York lists is that there are more numbered items in Paris.

The photo I just tried == four times! -- to upload failed to appear: of the gentleman for whom I'm most thankful! This was taken on my birthday at the I-Love-You Wall in Montmartre, behind the Abbesses Metro: "I love you" appears in over 300 languages. Enough of that torment. I'll try, in a separate post, another photo, taken previously, with the other camera that had had a greater success rate in the uploading department.

Book: DESSINEZ-MOI UN PARISIEN by Olivier Magny

While dawdling in the St. Germain bookstore La Hune (next door to Cafe Flore) until it was time to keep an appointment, I happened upon the above-titled book which began with a blog, Stuff Parisians Love. Turns out they love New York-- images of which they get from the movies You've Got Mail and Sex and the City -- and speaking Englsh. This is a great consolation! Now I know that when a French person switches to English with me, it's because they want practice speaking English, not because my French is lousy (although it may well be!).
A bientot!